How old is that water main near you?

PETERSBURG, Va (WTVR) – Thousands of people in Petersburg are still having to boil their tap water because of a water main break on Crater Road.

Public Utility officials said one of the mains responsible for the problem is 70 years old and was installed in the 1940s.

CBS 6 wanted to know how old the water main systems were across Central Virginia.

Most of the major localities have over 1,000 miles of water mains to maintain. Hundreds of thousands of people rely on those water mains.

Petersburg has some of the oldest pipes in Central Virginia. According to officials, some water mains in Old Towne are close to 100 years old. The city of Richmond said the pipes that comprise their system are 75-100 years old on average.

The oldest pipes in Henrico are in the eastern potion of the county, some of which are 80 years old. In Chesterfield, water mains along the Jeff Davis Highway corridor are more than 60 years old. Hanover County did not have an exact age but said their oldest mains are in Ashland.

Most localities said the life expectancy of water mains is 50-80 years. Each year, public utility departments check and replace pipes near the end of their life span.